Chicago Bears training camp report: Luther Burden III and Darnell Wright return to practice
Chicago Bears wide receiver Luther Burden III and right tackle Darnell Wright returned to practice Wednesday at Halas Hall after dealing with injuries.
Burden hadn’t participated since leaving practice Aug. 8 with a groin injury. He took part in only individual drills Wednesday as he ramps back up.
Wright exited practice with the trainers Tuesday after suffering what appeared to be a right elbow injury. He returned Wednesday with a brace on the elbow, which he has worn since initially injuring it last year.
The Bears practiced for less than an hour before heading to Nashville, Tenn., where they will hold a joint practice with the Tennessee Titans on Thursday ahead of their preseason game Saturday at Nissan Stadium (5 p.m., Fox-32).
Here’s what stood out Wednesday at Halas Hall.
Seen and heard
Wright tore the ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow in Week 3 last year and played through the injury the rest of the season, missing only one game. It appeared he tweaked the same elbow Tuesday, but the trainers may have pulled him out as a precaution.
There wasn’t much full-team work during practice Wednesday, but Wright appeared to be a full participant.
Burden missed just shy of three weeks with the groin injury that reports indicated would keep him out through the preseason. Coach Ben Johnson hadn’t given a specific timeline for Burden other than to say he would miss a “little bit of time.”
Johnson wasn’t made available Wednesday to comment on either player’s return or the plan for either this week in Tennessee.
Notably, the Bears were without defensive tackle Gervon Dexter Sr., who left practice early Tuesday, and defensive end Austin Booker, who hasn’t participated since last week’s joint practice in Cincinnati.
On the practice field, the Bears did a brief 7-on-7 red-zone period. Quarterback Caleb Williams connected with Colston Loveland, Kalif Raymond and D’Andre Swift for short completions.
On Williams’ final play of the period, he scrambled to his right and connected with Jahdae Walker for a touchdown after Walker found space with cornerback Jaylon Johnson covering him. Walker, never afraid to talk smack, let out a shout after the play and made sure the defense heard him.
Backup quarterback Tyson Bagent and wide receiver Scotty Miller connected for a touchdown in tight coverage for the second-team offense. Cornerback Terell Smith and safety Xavier Woods were right in Miller’s face, but he managed to catch a ball up the seam for the touchdown.
Fresh off the physically unable to perform list with a shin injury, safety Elijah Hicks took a few reps with the starters in 7-on-7. He could be in the mix with Woods and Cam Lewis in the battle for the starting safety job beside first-round draft pick Dillon Thieneman. Hicks has been mostly a backup during his four-year NFL career but has started 15 games.
Cornerback Jaylon Jones took some reps at nickel back with the second-team defense. Jones returned Tuesday after missing nearly three weeks with an ankle injury.
The Bears did only one quick situational period with the full team. Facing fourth-and-4 near midfield, Williams connected with tight end Cole Kmet on a quick pass outside that led to a first down.
For the second team, a false-start penalty moved the offense back to fourth-and-9. Linebacker D’Marco Jackson broke up Bagent’s pass to Walker over the middle.
Player in the spotlight: Beau Gardner
The Bears entered training camp with two untested long snappers: Gardner and Luke Elkin. Neither has played a regular-season snap in the NFL.
The position battle didn’t last long. The Bears waived Elkin on Aug. 9, leaving Gardner as the only long snapper on the roster. The undrafted rookie out of Georgia won the Patrick Mannelly Award last year as college football’s best long snapper.
He will be a player to watch early in the season. He may have been the best long snapper coming out of college football this year, but he’s still untested at the NFL level.
For years, the Bears have gone with a veteran at that vital position. Patrick Scales played in 120 regular-season games for the Bears from 2015-23 before an injury during 2024 training camp cut his season short. The Bears went with veteran Scott Daly in 2024-25. Daly signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in free agency this spring.
In steps Gardner.
The joint practice with the Bengals last week was a good test for the rookie, and special teams coordinator Richard Hightower expects another good challenge Thursday from the Titans.
“We got put in some tough situations and we’re asking the Titans to do the same thing,” Hightower said. “We want a challenge at all times because it’s going to happen in a game.
“He showed some things, but he also showed that we need to continue to work on some things. That’s going to be the case for every player and not just Beau. He held his own. So we were happy about that.”
The two biggest points of emphasis for Gardner are his accuracy on snaps — Hightower is looking for “a good, clean, deliverable football” — and his blocking ability after the snap.
Quote of note
In addition to Hicks, the Bears activated rookie linebacker Keyshaun Elliott off the PUP list Tuesday. Elliott had yet to practice during camp because of a back injury. His goal for this season, prior to his injury, was to emerge as a “core four” special teamer — playing on the kickoff, kickoff-return, punt and punt-return teams.
The injury has been a setback, but Hightower said the fifth-round draft pick hasn’t fallen behind because he has been so detailed in his preparation.
“That kid is dialed in,” Hightower said. “Although he hasn’t been on the field, he hasn’t missed a beat in the meeting room and he comes up for extra meeting time. He’s like a machine. Like he’s in there, ‘Coach, I’m in there at 6 o’clock every other morning. You’re gonna be there?’”
The depth chart is crowded with more experienced linebackers ahead of Elliott, but special teams is an area where the rookie could make his mark.
Injuries and participation
In addition to Dexter’s and Booker’s absences, the Bears were without running back Kyle Monangai (right knee), cornerback Dontae Manning (undisclosed), tight end Hayden Large (undisclosed) and linebackers Tony Fields II (undisclosed) and Ruben Hyppolite II (undisclosed).
Defensive tackle Grady Jarrett and guard Joe Thuney were given veteran rest days. Defensive end Marcus Davenport, whom the Bears signed last week, has yet to practice.